My son’s horrified scream echoed from downstairs at eight o’clock at night.

Meanwhile, a message popped up in a group chat for the apartment building’s residents.

“Silas, does your son even have a heart? He won’t even play with my girl.”

I froze, recalling that the neighbor didn’t have a child.

The next second, the neighbor sent a video.

The footage showed a vicious Doberman lunging toward me to attack Ethan.

It was bad enough that the neighbor didn’t stop the attack, but he even stood there, applauding.

“Good girl. You’re amazing. You’ve got a big boy crying already.

As Ethan was tackled to the floor, I shook in rage.

Since the neighbor loved playing games, I’d show him a thing or two.

I raced to the kitchen and grabbed the knife before charging to the scene.

By the time I got downstairs, Ethan’s jacket had been torn to shreds.

Ethan looked at the Doberman in terror, his face pale.

“Dad! S-Save me!”

Ethan gasped for air, his tone full of fear.

Standing there, the neighbor, Andrew Livington, said in disdain, “You have a rude kid.

“My baby girl is just playing with you. Why are you screaming for help?”

Bella the Doberman got more hyped up. She put her paws on Ethan’s shoulders while drooling.

Armed with my kitchen knife, I lunged forward.

“Silas, have you lost it?

“Don’t hurt my baby girl!” Andrew cried in a fluster.

Not paying him any heed, I swung my knife at Bella.

The ambush drew a deep gash across Bella’s body.

She rolled to the side and whimpered in agony.

“You came, Dad!”

Ethan reached his hands out in tears.

“Don’t be scared, Ethan. It’s okay now.”

I pulled Ethan into my arms and whispered reassurance.

Ethan was born with a congenital heart condition, so the slightest emotional distress could be fatal.

Yet, there was an incident today.

I examined Ethan from head to toe.

Only when I was certain he hadn’t been hurt and was no longer in shock did I heave relief.

“Silas, how could you be so vile?

“I can’t believe you hurt my baby girl!”

Andrew shot me an accusatory look, his gaze burning with rage.

His loud voice attracted a crowd.

Andrew put on a sad look for the people. “Let’s hear from everyone. Was it wrong for my baby girl to play with his son?

“But the guy turned around and slashed my baby. Talk about cruel.”

The crowd looked at me in disapproval.

“For a guy to carry a kitchen knife around the neighborhood, I hope he doesn’t have anger issues or something.”

“If your kid is so fragile, don’t let him out of the house.”

“That Doberman is a rare pedigree. It must be worth more than a hundred thousand bucks.”

…

Everybody threw around their opinions.

Ethan trembled in fear.

My heart went out to him.

Fearing Ethan might go into shock from the emotional strain, I scooped him up and turned to leave at once.

However, Andrew stood in my way and said arrogantly, “You can’t leave. You need to pay up for injuring my baby girl.

“It’s going to cost you a million bucks for the vet bills and mental trauma.”

I furrowed my brows.

The onlookers gasped sharply.

Meanwhile, Andrew uttered without a care, “Bella was a gift from my wife.

“She flew across the world just to bring the breed back.”

Andrew gave Ethan, who was in my embrace, the side eye before remarking in contempt, “That little brat can’t even compare.”

Blood rushed to my head.

Ethan meant more to me than anything else in the world.

I would not stand by and let anyone insult him.

Setting Ethan down to the side, I grabbed Andrew by the collar and punched him in the jaw.

“How dare you hit me!” He shouted, his voice shrill.

I sneered and pointed the knife at him.

Horrified, Andrew staggered back.

“D-Don’t do anything s—” Andrew said with a shaky voice.

The crowd looked terrified.

Suddenly, Ethan took my hand. “Dad, Mom is back.”

I turned my head in the direction Ethan was pointing and saw the familiar silhouette.

Before the words even left my mouth, Andrew ran over with a hurt expression. “You’re finally back, babe!”

“What’s wrong? What happened?” My wife, Crystal Warburton, asked while gently stroking Andrew’s arm.

“Our… Our baby… He…”

Andrew choked on his tears, his words trailing off.

Crystal’s eyes looked restless.

“What happened to our baby?”

With emotions gripping her, Crystal could not hide the tremor in her voice.

She reached her hand over her belly nervously.

A mocking sneer fleeted across my eyes.

At this point, I would be an idiot if I couldn’t connect the dots.

No wonder Crystal demanded to move into the apartment building last month. According to her, the neighborhood had a better school district for Ethan.

She also mentioned she’d be assigned overseas by the company soon and wouldn’t be back for a year or so.

As it turned out, she was going away to bear her child with another man.

Out of the blue, Ethan bolted toward her.

“Mom, do you know this man?

“He’s so mean. He told the dog to bite me.”

While talking, Ethan extended his arm to pull Crystal away.

However, she shook him off before he could even get a grip.

“Get the hell away from me!

“You’re so wicked for your age. Your father did a terrible job raising you!”

Crystal whipped her hand up and struck Ethan hard across the face.

“Thud!”

Knocked off his feet, Ethan slammed to the floor.

“Ethan!”

I ran over and lifted him from the ground.

“It hurts, Dad.

“Why did Mom hit me?”

Ethan was in excruciating pain, his tears rolling down his cheeks.

Crystal pulled a stoic look, her eyes full of disgust. “You got what you deserved.”

My limbs trembled in rage.

Before I could say anything, my eyes darted to Ethan’s ashen face.

He panted heavily, and his hand clutched his chest.

My heart sank.

“Quick! Ethan’s having a heart attack! Get in the car and take him to the hospital!” I picked Ethan up and yelled at Crystal.

Taken aback, Crystal approached us.

However, Andrew grabbed her arm.

“Babe.”

Crystal stopped, her gaze falling on Andrew. She said worriedly, “Are you hurt anywhere, Andrew? Do you need me to take you to the emergency room?”

“I’m okay, but our baby is badly hurt.”

Andrew pointed at Bella, who was convulsing.

Reality sank in for Crystal.

“This is the baby you’re talking about?”

“Duh!”

Andrew nodded and looked at me viciously. “It’s all your fault!

“You’re going to apologize to my baby girl right now, or pay me a million dollars.”

Ignoring him, I turned to Crystal. “Give me the car keys. I’m taking Ethan to the hospital.”

Crystal stood still, her eyes reflecting conflict.

“Silas, I think you should just do what Andrew said. Either say you’re sorry or give him a million.”

Disbelief washed over me.

Ethan’s life was hanging by a thread, and all she could think about was her side piece’s dog.

With my blood boiling, my breathing turned ragged.

“Give me the keys!” I shouted and shoved Andrew out of the way before putting the knife to Crystal’s throat.

She shuddered and shakily fished out the car keys.

I took the keys as Andrew whimpered in agony, “Argh… My stomach hurts…”

Snapping my head, I looked over.

Andrew lay on the ground, his face discolored and his hands clutching his belly.

The blood stain across his abdomen threw me off.

I didn’t even touch him.

“Andrew!”

Panicking, Crystal sprinted toward Andrew.

I looked away and carried Ethan to the car without a moment too soon.

“Wait, Silas! Take Andrew to the hospital with you!”

Crystal smacked the car window desperately, her voice a picture of anxiety.

Not even giving her the time of day, I floored the gas pedal.

It took three hours of medical intervention to bring Ethan back.

Even then, Ethan was not out of the woods.

All my attention was on caring for Ethan.

To my dismay, the police approached me three days later.

“Are you Silas Warburton?

“Please come with us,” one of the police officers said while showing me a warrant

I frowned, my eyes reflecting confusion.

“May I know—”

The handcuffs clicked around my wrist before I could finish my sentence.

Ethan burst out crying in fright.

“Don’t arrest my dad… Don’t…”

As Ethan’s breathing turned shallow and rapid, a flicker of panic crossed my face.

“Can I go with you once I get my kid settled?” I turned to the police officers and pleaded.

Surprisingly, my request was denied.

“We’ve a ton of cases waiting for us. We don’t have time to sit around while you calm your kid down.”

The police officer gripped my shoulder.

My pleading and struggles fell on deaf ears.

As I was about to be dragged out of the ward, a furious voice boomed.

“What’s the meaning of this?

“Is this police brutality?”

I turned to the source of the voice.

My eyes lit up with joy when I saw who it was.

“Jeremy, what are you doing here?”

“You’re one to talk. If I hadn’t seen the video circulating online, I wouldn’t have known what you got into.” My best buddy, Jeremy Highland, glanced at me in frustration.

I was taken aback.

Before I could say anything, the police officer uttered, “Since you’ve seen the video, you should know that Silas committed assault with a deadly weapon.

“The victim is receiving treatment for his injuries. Plus, he’s under emotional distress.

Furrowing his brows, Jeremy tried to intervene, but I stopped him.

“Jeremy, take care of Ethan for me.”

With that, I went along with the police.

I was detained for three whole days.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that I was taken to the interrogation room.

The police officer tried to intimidate me right off the bat.

“You are suspected of assault with a deadly weapon. Given the overwhelming evidence and testimonies, it is in your best interest to sign this admission of guilt.

“Aggravated assault is a serious crime.

“You’re looking at three years minimum, and up to ten years max.”

Refusing to sign, I gave my version of events.

I asked, “Show me the proof. Who are these witnesses?

“You can’t just pin a crime on the innocent.”

The cop slammed a stack of papers onto the table.

It included Andrew’s medical evaluation detailing injuries caused by a blade.

There were also photographs of the dog’s injuries, along with an astronomical vet bill.

Added to that were recordings taken by onlookers at the scene.

The footage showed my supposed vicious act of stabbing a dog.

That was the so-called proof.

Despite my explanation, the cops sighed.

He murmured, “You upset the wrong people. Our hands are tied.”

I slammed the table in rage.

“Who is targeting me? Tell them to come right in my face!”

With his arm around Crystal, Andrew emerged.

Andrew was smug. “How does it feel? Are you having the time of your life here?”

I glared at him. “What do you want? Spit it out.

“Stop wasting my time. Ethan is waiting for me at the hospital.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes dangerously at me, his gaze reflecting malice. “You hurt my baby girl.

“I’m looking for ten million dollars in compensation and a formal apology.”

I smirked. “And what if I don’t?”

Andrew looked like he had this in the bag. “You can rot in prison for the rest of your life!”

I sneered, “You don’t own the court. I’ve retained an attorney.”

Crystal said icily, “I hope you’re not forgetting that I’m the best lawyer in town. I have ways to put you away for good.”

My heart sank.

It looked like I was in for the fight of my life.

Sure enough, I got a call from Jeremy as soon as I walked out of the precinct.

“This is terrible. Ethan’s been kidnapped. Don’t call the cops, or they’ll kill him!”

Reveling in my misfortune, Andrew said with a chuckle, “That’s what you call Karma.”

I lunged forward and put a tight squeeze on his neck. “Tell me! Did you kidnap Ethan?”